For those too young to remember, Crete
once had its own FM radio station broadcasting from near the
intersection of 12th and Main. It played a central role in Saline County
life, offering everything from community programming and local updates
to polka shows and weekly football score prediction contests.
Best of all, the station had deep Dorchester connections.
A History Lesson
Fifty years ago this month, in February 1976, Crete's hometown radio station, KTAP, got its start. Operating at 103.9 on the FM band, the station first started broadcasting August 20, 1976. The call letters "KTAP" were selected because the station's owners believed listeners would associate it with "tapping your toes" to the music.
The station's first owners were a group from Columbus known
as Airwaves Broadcasting Services Inc. The first general manager was
Walt Chockley, famously known as "Scotty Holiday" on his irreverent
morning show, “Scotty on The Potty... Brushin' and Flushin'.”
The format
originally leaned toward adult contemporary before shifting to
1970s-style album-oriented rock after 6 p.m. with “Garry Lee (Rice) in
your nighttime, rockin' your socks 'til midnight.”
The Dorchester Connection
Sundays on KTAP featured Dorchester’s own Hank and Helen Zahourek, who hosted their "Polka Show" from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dating back to 1955, Zahourek was
the leader of his own band, Hank’s Melody Masters, and an owner of the
Blue River Lodge, which hosted Sunday polka dances through the
mid-1970s.
Another staple was Dorchester historian and educator Jan Stehlik,
who hosted the regular segment “What’s Doing in Dorchester,” alongside
various other Dorchester personalities who DJ’d at the station over the
years.
Ownership Shifts and the Glory Days
By 1977, with the support of Tom
Aron and Dick Sinkule of Crete State Bank, Jim Jaworski (from sister station KTTT) purchased the
station for $230,000. A community contest later determined that KTAP stood for "Key
To Area Progress."
The years between 1977 and 1984 were the
station's glory days. With polka DJs like Joe Zumpf and Elmer Niemec, a
profitable country format, and a focus on local markets, KTAP became a
true community pillar.
The Final Broadcast
In 1984, Mel
Gleason purchased the station. In July 1986, KTAP was renamed to KBVB (Blue Valley
Broadcasting) and the format soon changed to adult contemporary. Following Mel’s passing, his wife Louise took over
operations. However, by March 1988, the station was sold again.
According
to former employees, the end was abrupt: the moment the deal was
finalized, one of the new owners entered the studio, cut a song off
mid-stream, and announced the station was going off the air immediately.
The entire staff was fired on the spot, marking the end of commercial
radio in Crete.
The loss of local radio was a significant blow to community journalism and the unique social fabric of Saline County.
Over the years, the tower that once broadcast KTAP programming has changed ownership several times, from KKNB, which aired Top 40 music as B-104 FM and later "The Point," to Clear Channel-owned Kiss 104 FM and Three Eagles Communications-owned "The Blaze." The frequency formerly associated with KTAP is now licensed to KIBZ in Crete, serving the Lincoln metropolitan area.
